


Conscious of You

by mew_tsubaki



Series: Birds of a Feather AU [10]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Birds of a Feather AU, M/M, Older Characters, cameos from others - Freeform, mentions of Kagakuro & Ennotana, that's more of a light T rating btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 05:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11891337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mew_tsubaki/pseuds/mew_tsubaki
Summary: A friendly chat, and Hinata comes to appreciate Kageyama in a new light. *An AU oneshot set in my Birds of a Feather AU, but may be read on its own; set after "Opportunity" in the BoaF collection; slash.





	Conscious of You

**Author's Note:**

> The Haikyuu! characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. The story of Kagehina!…in the Birds of a Feather AU. BUT! This fic stands on its own so you don't have to read the fics in the BoaF collection to enjoy this. Enjoy everyone's favorite hotheaded couple~ :3c Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: Though you don't have to read the BoaF fics to enjoy this, things will be clearer if you do; this is set after the 6th story, "Opportunity," after the Ukatake oneshot "Moving Mountains," and at the same time as the Matsuwata oneshot "Comfort Seekers."

Hinata hummed a happy tune as he dropped to one knee and collected the next box from the mound. He popped back up after and zipped by his coworkers, one of whom laughed at the sight but did so without meanness.

"Hinata, at this rate, you and Momo are going to finish without us," the one who'd laughed called after him.

"Only if you and Kuroko take your time, Kiyoshi-san," Hinata threw over his shoulder with a wide grin. He peeked at them, too, but Kiyoshi kept smiling, ready to chuckle, while Kuroko appeared to regret this task very much on Kiyoshi's right. Of course, peeking at them at the wrong moment had its consequences.

"Watch out!"

"Eh?!" Hinata faced front too late, and he crashed head on into Mikoshiba. Mikoshiba's arms were empty, so at least only one box went flying.

"It's not a race, Mikoshiba-kun," Kuroko scolded the larger of the two redheads after he and Kiyoshi caught up with them in the hallway. He offered Hinata a hand up while Kiyoshi pulled Mikoshiba to his feet with one good yank of the klutzy guy's Clover class apron.

"I know that…!"Mikoshiba whined. "But summer vacation just started! And the kindergarten got its supplies delivered today— _all_ of its supplies! I don't know about you, but I want to get this done as fast as possible and be free." His golden eyes sparkled. "The summer sun! Ice-cream! The beach!"

Kiyoshi now chuckled at him and not at Hinata. He raised one thick, dark brown eyebrow. "You just want to go swimming, Momo."

"I _do_ …!"

"Don't you think hustling to bring the rest of the supplies to the classrooms is a better use of time, then?" the tall man countered.

Mikoshiba opened his mouth and closed it. He nodded and whizzed by the other three, collecting two boxes at a time.

Not one to be outdone in the speed department, Hinata knelt to pick up his lone box. …however, he was slower to stand this time, because the knee that had touched the floor ached after that impromptu collision.

"Hinata-kun?" Kuroko asked, peering at him. His usual poker face was disturbed by a frown and a worried crease between his eyebrows.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Hinata promised.

Those blue eyes of his coworker's were piercing and unconvinced. "Don't feel the need to compete with Mikoshiba-kun. Just…take it easy."

Wow…! Kuroko was showing real concern for him…! Hinata felt so flattered.

"Summer break just began, but there's still a lot for us teachers to do to prepare for next semester," the wispy guy finished. And he went back to the stack of deliveries.

Hinata's shoulders sank, and he moped on the way to…he checked the sticker on the box…oh, his and Kuroko's classroom…the Sun classroom. At the door, he sensed someone join him, and he brightened up when Kiyoshi smiled and opened the door for him. "Thank you, Kiyoshi-san."

"No problem." Kiyoshi followed him inside and dropped off another two boxes. "Is here all right?" he asked, gesturing to right inside the door.

"Actually, can you put them at the back of the room?" Hinata scanned his classroom and saw that maybe half the perimeter was dotted with boxes. Hm. Maybe he should start unpacking the supplies to make room.

"Hinata?"

He glanced at Kiyoshi, surprised to find him still at the door. "Yeah?"

"Do you have a minute?"

He looked at him confusedly. "But, you were just telling Momo—" Hinata stopped when Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows and smiled halfheartedly. "Oh. Uh, yeah, sure."

Kiyoshi searched for the adult-sized chairs in the room, found them in the right corner by the blackboard, and pulled them out. He sat and waited for Hinata to join him, and then he peeked at the door as if checking to make sure the others wouldn't eavesdrop. Satisfied that was the case, he turned back to the redhead. "Kuroko was just being blunt, you know," he said.

That was all? Somehow that didn't seem like an important enough topic to warrant sitting down when they were busy, Hinata thought. He grinned. "No, I know, Kiyoshi-san. We've headed the Sun class for years now. I can handle his bluntness. I mean, it throws me off sometimes, but he's not mean." At that, Hinata crossed his arms and vigorously shook his head. "I know a jerk when I see one. Hell, I'm even still friends with one!" Although Tsukishima's sneer appeared in his mind's eye, Hinata guessed calling the blond beanpole a friend _and_ a jerk might've been a bit much.

The brunet chuckled. "Good. I'm glad you can read him just fine. Compared to Momo, who's an open book."

Hinata grinned again, liking how Kiyoshi spoke fondly of his fellow Clover class teacher.

"Hinata, does the term 'tendinopathy' mean anything to you?"

He stopped grinning instantly.

Kiyoshi closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his elbow on his leg. "I figured as much. Which kind?"

Hinata dropped his eyes to his hands, which he folded in his lap atop his apron. "…bilateral. Stage II. Would've been stage III if I'd kept on playing."

"Volleyball, right? That's how you met Kageyama."

The smaller man nodded, rubbing his thumbs together nervously. "Yeah. In middle school. We played together all three years of high school." He forced his gaze up, grinning at just those memories. "We started to play more in university, but I had to stop. Kageyama…kept going." Oh, no. Oh, _no_. If he thought about that part of their history too much right now, he'd be a mess for the rest of the day. So he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and asked, "How could you tell?"

Kiyoshi was wearing khaki cargo pants for the weather, and they came to just below his knees, so it wasn't noticeable until the older man lifted his pants' legs up some. There were matching scars on his knees on the outside of the joint. "Bilateral. Stage III worsened to stage IV. I had surgery twice in high school, effectively ending my basketball career."

Hinata gaped at him. Those were the kinds of things the university physicians and his orthopedic doctor had warned him about all those years ago. "So…Kuroko could tell my knee twinged just now because you guys played together? You guys have talked about your Seirin days at lunch sometimes…"

Kiyoshi shrugged. "He _is_ a quiet little guy with observation as a hobby, but I'm just a piece of the bigger picture."

The redhead cocked his head to one side.

"You remember the Generation of Miracles?"

"Sounds familiar. Something my friend, Izumin, followed. Ah, he's a basketball fan," he elaborated.

"Well…Kuroko was one of them. And the rest are his friends."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Whoa…! That's such a cool thing! They shared that title?! I mean, it's nothing like the Little Giant, or the King of the Court…or even the Grand King, but—" He stopped babbling at Kiyoshi's lightly reprimanding stare. "Sorry, sorry. Please continue, Kiyoshi-san."

"There was another guy like them. And that was Kagami," Kiyoshi stated.

Now _there_ was a familiar name. "Kuroko's husband?"

"Yes. He was Seirin's ace after me…no, even when I played," he added softly, mostly to himself. He looked at Hinata. "Kuroko has downplayed it in all our stories, but he and Kagami made a damn good one-two punch for the team. You know about Kuroko's misdirection ability—"

"Don't remind me," Hinata groused, because his friend has used it on occasion to escape the classroom when the kids were being particularly rowdy…although Hinata was getting the kids to calm down on his own more. The trick was to tire them out.

"—and that, coupled with Kagami's jumping skills, took us to Nationals three times." He paused, frowned, and stroked his chin. "Well, took _them_ three times. Anyway."

Hinata had an idea where this was going now, since Kagami jumping had been mentioned. "Um, Kiyoshi-san… I know Kagami's a firefighter now, but did he, too…?"

"Yeah." The older man ran a hand through his hair. "Unilateral, in his left knee. He was luckier than us, though. Our coach and I noticed early on how he favored his left leg, so she had him do exercise to strengthen his body and utilize his right leg more. He worked with a physical therapist after high school, and he played for a few years professionally in America while Kuroko went to school. He lasted for a while and was great, but the pro level took its toll." Kiyoshi sat up straight and leaned back in his chair, sighing. "He was diagnosed at stage III, so he had to stop playing. Then he and Kuroko came home, and—well, you pretty much know the rest."

And he did. Though he hadn't known Kuroko had a foreign degree, they _had_ attended the same licensing course here in Japan, and they'd started at Kamizawa Kindergarten and Nursery at the same time, after Kiyoshi and before Mikoshiba. But, still— "Why tell me all this?" Hinata asked with a frown.

Kiyoshi gave him another sympathetic smile. "Because Kuroko's a worrywart. He's never piped up to you before, but he keeps an eye on you. He still frets over the strain Kagami puts on his knees even now, and I get scolded, too, when you and Momo aren't looking. I guess…I'm just saying to expect more of that now that he's finally said something."

It was kind of endearing, that that was the motive behind Kuroko's actions. He always turned down Hinata's invitations to go out for food or drinks with him and Kageyama, but Hinata never got the sense that Kuroko disliked him. And, now, here was Kiyoshi confirming that for Hinata. But there was one more question Hinata had to ask: "Is jumper's knee really that obvious?"

Kiyoshi's eyes widened, and he got to his feet after a glimpse at the clock hanging above the blackboard. "I don't think so. But it's hard to ignore once you know enough about it or have experience with it."

"Hard to ignore…"

"Ah! No fair, slacking off, Kiyoshi-san, Hinata-san!" came Mikoshiba's mewling at the door as he poked his head in.

Hinata blushed. "We're not slacking off…!"

Kuroko's silver–blue head appeared around Mikoshiba's shoulder. "This is not what I meant by taking it easy, Hinata-kun…" His cheeks puffed out with contained laughter, but the other two actually did laugh as Hinata turned even redder.

"Kuroko…!"

* * *

Until Kiyoshi's frank and open conversation, Hinata hadn't given it much thought, about how others might view him and his injury. He considered asking Kageyama that night at home about it…and decided against it. His boyfriend was great but so totally dumber than he was about stuff like this, and, knowing Kageyama, bringing it up without being able to express himself properly would either confuse Kageyama or worry him, and Hinata didn't want to do that to him.

Even if a worried Kageyama's pout was one of the most adorable sights in the world.

So, the next day, Hinata tried paying attention to his coworkers when they interacted with him. Kiyoshi was somewhat obvious in one or two glances, but that was likely since they'd just discussed their injuries the day before. Mikoshiba appeared completely ignorant to such things, and his energy was better focused on helping Kiyoshi get their classroom in order and helping the other teachers when he had a free hand.

But Kiyoshi was right about Kuroko. Though it was hard to catch him in the act, there was no doubt Kuroko watched out for him. From straightening anything on the floor to picking up anything Hinata dropped, he made sure Hinata didn't have to do anything to put strain on his knees.

Huh. Then…did his other friends do the same kinds of things?

After work, Hinata swung by the supermarket to buy a few staples—milk, eggs, those bean paste candies he loved but Kageyama always finished without asking—and headed home to their apartment. He put the dairy in the fridge and changed clothes, but it would be a few more hours before their favorite place for dinner opened, so he killed the time by tidying up and clicking through the news on TV.

Once it was after six, he left to catch the bus uptown, texting Kageyama along the way where to meet him. Hinata got off half a block away, and, a couple of minutes later, The Roost came into view.

The only thing he disliked about Saeko-san's bar was that it was at the bottom of a staircase, which _was_ tough on his knees, but the drinks Tanaka mixed and the food Nishinoya made and the company they kept made the ache worth it.

"Open seat at the counter," Yamamoto, who'd come on recently as a waiter and busboy, told him.

"Thanks," Hinata said, and his eyes followed Nekoma's old ace around the small restaurant as he went to take a seat. No… Yamamoto paid him no mind, like Mikoshiba.

Behind the bar counter, Tanaka grinned at him. "Almost every other night for years, Hinata? You guys aren't sick of us yet?"

"But the food's so good! Kageyama can make porridge only, and I don't know as much as Noya-senpai…," Hinata retorted.

Tanaka shook his head at him and tousled the teacher's fluffy hair. "I know, I know… I'm just teasing. What do you want to drink?"

Hinata looked up at the new menu board with old recipes listed. "Um. Surprise me."

The bartender gave him an impressed look and got to work.

Hinata knew he and Kageyama really did come here a lot, but so did Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who had their usual booth in the back tonight. Fukunaga came by more often now, now that Yamamoto worked here, and sometimes Kozume would join the silent cat.

He stopped to think about Kozume for a second. Nekoma's former setter had remained one of Hinata's closest friends, and he'd been the first person Hinata told outside of Kageyama and family about his prognosis. Kozume was something of a quiet worrier like Kuroko, but he'd never brought it up after that first time he learned they'd no longer cross paths on the volleyball court…

…ah. That was it.

Yamaguchi caught his eye and waved, and Hinata waved back and exchanged the usual play-glare with Tsukishima. Then his attention was forward on Tanaka again after the bartender slid a green drink and a bowl of shrimp chips towards him.

"Bad to drink on an empty stomach," Tanaka said.

Hinata grinned. "You always serve Ennoshita-san a drink first, though," the redhead said of the businessman who'd become a regular at the bar…and something more to Hinata's old teammate in the past year.

Tanaka's look was a dry one, but his cheeks were red. "I'll tell Kageyama you spoiled your dinner."

"Urk! But, Tanaka-san, that's your fault," Hinata groaned, eating a handful of chips and leaning back on the black-and-silver barstool.

The shaven-haired man's eyes dropped for a second, and then he turned away to fix an order Yamamoto passed him. "Yeah, yeah…," he muttered.

Hmm.

Hinata sat up on the stool and peered at the counter, but it was clean. There was nothing to catch Tanaka's attention, so…

Was that really it?

His knees?

It had been passing glance, sure, but that was the only thing that made sense. Tanaka had said nothing, but, then again, no one ever did—or had, until yesterday. …no, that wasn't exactly it, either, he realized, recalling times he'd talked about it with Aone or Inuoka. Oikawa, too, since he and Kageyama were teammates once more, for F.C. Tokyo; Oikawa had been the most empathetic until Kiyoshi, since he had knee problems every now and then, too, but he could still play. But, in every single case, Hinata had been the one to bring up the topic.

Did that mean, amongst not only the crows but their entire network of friends, his injury was a taboo subject?

He didn't get that. Sure, he was bound to tense if someone directly approached him about it, as Kiyoshi had done, but it was a long time ago. He could jump to reach the cereal box on the top shelf at home. He could go for a light run around the neighborhood once or twice a week for exercise. And, though his orthopedic doctor had cleared him long ago, he still did some of the stretches he'd learned in physical therapy every morning, to warm up for the day. So what gave? Was everyone just trying to be polite like Tanaka and leave well enough alone?

At that point, a familiar face came down the stairs with a duffle bag slung across his chest. Ah! Someone he could ask!

"Watari-san!" Hinata called, and he and Tanaka both waved Seijou's former libero over when Watari turned his head.

Watari joined him at the counter with a tired smile. "Hello, Hinata, Tanaka."

"Noya-san said you'd be by sometime tonight," Tanaka said. "Can I fix you something to drink?"

"Ah, no… I really just wanted to get his key—" A growl from his stomach cut him off, heard over even the bar's music, and color crept into his face. Tanaka snickered, but Hinata couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll tell him you're here and hungry," the bartender said with a grin, and he ducked into the backroom to do just that.

"Agh…," Watari groaned.

Hinata practiced good manners and offered to share his chips. He insisted, pushing them towards the other man when Watari shook his head. "Nice to see you, Watari-san," Hinata said. "But you look so haggard compared to Noya-senpai's birthday. Are you feeling sick?" Uh-oh. He hoped not. The last time Hinata had caught a bug, Kageyama had annoyed him so much because it had lasted for weeks. It drove Hinata nuts when Kageyama's Nurse Mode was turned on. Kageyama was not a nurse; Yamaguchi was. But Kageyama never let that stop him when it came to Hinata's health.

"No, I'm fine," Watari assured him. "Just tired. I left this morning."

Hinata stared at him, because he worked at Seijou all the way back home in Miyagi. Not to mention— "This morning? But isn't…?" He stopped to flip through a mental calendar, and he gaped at his companion. "But isn't next week the first round of qualifiers for the Spring High?!" He couldn't recall if Watari was a coach, but surely Watari should've been around to support his home team?!

Watari was stunned by his outburst. "You still keep tabs on the calendar?"

"Of course! My sister plays on Karasuno's girls' team," Hinata said proudly. Sure, Natsu had not followed _exactly_ in his footsteps, but she was a volleyball lover just like her big brother.

"Anyway," Watari said, "I'm not a coach, and something came up, so I'm here for a visit."

Someone else on vacation… Hinata was looking forward, himself, to a week off before the kids came back. "Are you staying through the weekend?" he asked. "There's a practice game on Saturday."

"F.C.'s?"

Hinata shook his head. "No, Trefuerza. Some of my Datekou friends play for them—oh, and Nekoma's Lev, if you remember him? So Kageyama and I go when he's off."

Watari eyed him skeptically. "Isn't that cheating?"

"No. Sometimes Aone-san and Lev go to F.C.'s practice matches, though Lev always gets sidetracked after when catching up with Kuroo-san."

Yamamoto brought Watari's food then, and Nishinoya popped out front to say "hi." But Hinata couldn't find the right time to ask Watari about the "taboo subject" with Tanaka back behind the bar and within earshot, so he settled for telling Watari about the V. Premier League's current stats, highlighting F.C. Tokyo and Kageyama's accomplishments where he could.

Watari was still eating when Kageyama arrived, and the volleyball player made a beeline for Hinata. Kageyama greeted Watari, and then they excused themselves to a booth so they could be alone. "Good day?" Hinata asked his lover as he took Kageyama's proffered hand and got off the stool.

"Yeah," Kageyama said. "Coach has increased my setting chances, so now Oikawa-san and I almost share game time fifty–fifty." He only released Hinata's hand once they slid in to opposite sides of the table.

Hinata stared at the hand Kageyama had just held. "Huh."

"What?"

"Kageyama, I just realized…do you always help me down when I sit at the bar?"

Kageyama stared at him like a deer in the headlights. "Do I?" he mumbled, and he fiddled with the strap of his team bag as he took it off and placed it beside him.

Hinata narrowed his eyes at him, but the dim lighting of the bar wasn't any help. He couldn't be sure Kageyama was flustered over being discovered or really was surprised at the revelation. Hmm… Maybe Hinata really was just overthinking this….

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Hinata would recall his curiosity at odd times, and he'd try to watch Kageyama for signs of overprotectiveness. There was nothing to catch, of course, when they were apart during the day, at work, but mornings and evenings were another matter.

For instance, Hinata knew he liked to kick his slippers off before climbing into bed. But Kageyama was the first one up every morning, and magically Hinata's slippers would always be lined up properly for him to step into once he got up.

Even though Hinata _could_ jump to reach the top shelf in their kitchen, Kageyama always pulled the cereal box down for him. And, really, Hinata only knew he could reach it with a jump from an accidental discovery once when Kageyama had been away at a training camp.

And even their goodbye kiss in the morning. Hinata rarely got to stand on his tiptoes for it anymore. No, Kageyama always took that step down right inside the door, where they left their shoes, and he bent down to meet Hinata.

On their way home or to or from the bar or just being out in general, Kageyama walked ahead of him down stairs and behind him going up. If they were on the bus—and Hinata surmised this happened when they took the train, too—and only one seat was open, Kageyama always told Hinata to take it.

And, then, of course, Kageyama really did help him off the barstool every single time.

Hinata always made sure not to do anything stupid to worsen his condition. But it was clear that, consciously or not, Kageyama treated him gently, with care. Not that Hinata didn't know he was capable of that—otherwise he mightn't have fallen for more than just the setter's amazing tosses—but still. He wondered what, if anything, was running through the other party's mind in a situation like this.

"Say, Kuroko…," he began Friday afternoon as they sat together in their classroom, cutting and gluing decorations for the upcoming holidays in the fall.

Kuroko didn't look up from the orange-and-purple paper chain he'd started. "Yes, Hinata-kun?"

"How do you view Kagami's injury?"

_That_ got his attention. Kuroko fixed him with an extremely dry look, one reminiscent of Kozume's expression whenever Kuroo told him he'd have to hang out with Hinata another time. "Kiyoshi-senpai blabbed," he guessed correctly.

Oops. "S-Sorry! Is it really something bad to talk about?!" Crap. Had he stepped on a landmine…?! But Kuroko was usually so nice or blasé about stuff…!

His coworker exhaled and put his scissors down. "It's not bad," Kuroko answered him with sincere eyes. "But it's not easy, either."

Hinata, too, stopped gluing a paper lantern together. "What do you mean?"

"We were partners on the basketball court before we were partners off it. I didn't and still don't have the kinds of skills or talent Kagami-kun and the other Miracles possess. But he and some of the others had partners like me, the shadows to their lights."

"Wow…" It reminded him of all the times he and Kageyama had told each other they'd make the other the best in all of Japan. Ha. He and Kuroko had more in common than he'd thought.

Kuroko nodded and twisted his wedding band around on his finger. "But, being shadows, we'd make our lights shine even brighter—and, sometimes, I wonder if we only enabled some of the trouble they had later."

Hinata frowned. "You feel guilty?"

The pale man's smile was tight. "It's…more of an instinctual reaction. I think anyone would, from my standpoint. I think, 'Was there something different I could've done? Was there something I could've said to Kagami-kun to make him be more careful?'"

But a concern occurred to Hinata. "But…you'd love him, injured or not, right?"

How rare, the dust of pink on a face usually so composed like Kuroko's. But he agreed. "Of course. This and that are separate things, Hinata-kun."

Hinata wanted to talk some more, but the alarm on Kuroko's phone went off at that moment.

"If you'll excuse me, it's time to take Tama-kun home," Kuroko said, referring to his one-year-old son who attended the nursery that ran year-round at their school. He stood and removed his apron. "Do you mind picking up?" he asked.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Kuroko. Nigou's probably wagging his tail at home right about now, ready for a walk. I've got this."

Kuroko tipped his head in thanks and showed a rare smile. But perhaps the kinder gesture was the quick squeeze he gave Hinata's shoulder as he passed, as if reassuring Hinata that everything would be fine, that life _could_ be spent as a spectator of sports and not only as a player.

* * *

Come late Saturday morning, Hinata and Kageyama took the train to Trefuerza's gym to watch their practice match held against a local university team as a favor between coaches. Unsurprisingly, Hinata sat while Kageyama took the safety strap in front of him while they rode, but Hinata didn't point it out to his boyfriend.

Trefuerza, like F.C. Tokyo, had bleacher seating along one side of their gym, though F.C.'s was nicer. Hinata wanted seats somewhere in the middle for the best view of both sides of the court, but Kageyama found them seats down front, so they sat there.

Hinata scratched his head. Did they _always_ sit in front? But that meant they'd never climbed the bleachers…

He shot Kageyama a look, but Kageyama stared back dumbly.

Whatever. He couldn't ask Kageyama right now, as the teams finished warming up and the referee blew his whistle.

Trefuerza had picked wisely in their defense. Haiba Lev and Aone Takanobu were regulars, familiar faces for anyone who'd been a Trefuerza fan—or rival—the past several years. Aone had taught Haiba the ways of Datekou's Iron Wall, a much more intimidating thought with as long a reach as Haiba had.

"That guy's really not as all over the place as he used to be," Kageyama said, his eyes following Koganegawa, their setter.

Hinata agreed. Koganegawa had gained something resembling control by now—but he was still unpredictable, as witnessed when Daishou, the remaining recognizable name for the couple, was stunned to see the ball coming his way. He jumped late as a result, but he had enough power to smash it through the university's blockers.

"Come on~ Is that all?" Daishou taunted their opponents, and Haiba joined him, giving him a high-five and echoing "Is that all?" until the ref gave them a warning.

Hinata felt his blood boil and sensed Kageyama's doing the same beside him. "Kenma-san told me what he's like… He used to piss Lev off, too. They were scary as rivals."

"But they're scarier as teammates, trust me," Kageyama grumbled, but he wore a dark smile that belied his excitement.

The first set went on for a while, with the score crawling to the high twenties until Daishou pulled off a service ace and then their ace pushed the ball through after a second serve that the university sent back over. Daishou and Haiba's hoots and hollers filled the gym along with their teammates' and fans' cheers, though Koganegawa's victory grunts nearly drowned them out.

The second set started, but the student players had lost their cool. The cause was probably a mix of hearing the taunts and having Aone lead every block, which was demoralizing. Where the first set ended on fairly even terms, the second set concluded with the university team creamed.

As the crowd dispersed, Hinata gave Aone a thumb's up, and he waved heartily to Haiba and Koganegawa on the way out. Outside, the excitement of the game still made Hinata's fingers itch to touch a volleyball. "Man!" he exclaimed, practically skipping alongside Kageyama. He swung his right arm in front of him, making some imaginary spikes. "There's just something about you pros! You guys are a level abo—" But he stopped short when he looked up and saw Kageyama's expression.

Kageyama turned away and upped his pace.

Obviously Hinata kept up with him. "Kageyama? Hey, Kageyama!" He latched on to Kageyama's arm and tugged to little avail. He glowered at his moody boyfriend, even though Kageyama might only glimpse that in his peripheral vision. "Dammit, Bakageyama! Look at me!"

But he refused. From the side, Hinata could see Kageyama grimace.

Out of ideas, Hinata acted on reflex. Even if he hadn't used these reflexes in more than five years, they still responded well enough, and he was able to jump in front of Kageyama and meet him eye to eye.

Kageyama turned white as a sheet and caught him, softening the shorter man's landing. A second later, he inhaled and yelled, "You dumbass! Never do that again!"

Hinata winced. He'd expected the scolding, but that anxiety in those dark blue eyes was what made him really scared. "Kageyama…?"

There was no room for discussion. Kageyama stormed all the way to the station, Hinata trailing behind him. They both found seats this time, but Kageyama rode back with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, as if concentrating before a game and not ignoring his partner.

At their apartment, Kageyama unlocked and went in first, but he said nothing about lunch. Instead, he disappeared into their bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Hinata shook his head at Kageyama's childishness—as well as at his own, earlier—and sighed. He made a sandwich and ate it in front of the television, but he couldn't watch the rerun of his favorite show. He kept circling back to Kageyama's reaction and how everyone toed around his injury.

It wasn't Hinata everyone was careful not to upset, was it?

The afternoon melted into day and graduated to evening with Kageyama still holed up, but Hinata wondered if they could talk about this without yelling at each other. He also wondered if they would sort this out soon. Had Kageyama forgotten? Natsu would be staying the week after next, staying with _them_. He didn't want to deal with an irate Kageyama for that long, and he didn't want to subject his sister to that, either.

But, when dinner came and went and Saturday rolled into Sunday, Hinata wondered just how long this _would_ go on….

* * *

Amazingly, Hinata woke up tucked into bed.

The redhead sat bolt upright, not remembering coming into their room at all. He looked beside him and found his boyfriend's spot empty. "Kageyama?" he called out the bedroom door, which stood open.

The taller man shuffled over in just a pair of sleep pants. "Yeah?" he asked, scratching his bare stomach. He yawned, too.

Relief flooded Hinata, and he scrambled to his feet. He put his slippers on—lined up for him as usual—and then scurried over to his fellow volleyball dork to throw his arms around him and bury his face in that tan chest.

"H-Hinata?!" Kageyama yelped, flipping the light on.

Hinata looked up at him, knowing Kageyama's defenses were down like this, with that "Dammit, Hinata's cute" side glance he kept making. So Hinata went for it: "You're really a Bakageyama."

Kageyama scowled. "Hah?"

Hinata grinned. "Kageyama, are you with me out of pity?"

One black eyebrow rose and the other sank in confusion. "Pity? No."

"Then why did you act the way you did yesterday? Better yet, why do you treat me as if I'm gonna break?" he badgered. He hung on even as Kageyama turned from their bedroom to head to the living room.

Kageyama groaned and dropped into the couch. He pulled Hinata beside him and stretched the latter's legs out on his lap. With his eyes on Hinata's legs, he said, "I…am always wary of your bad knees."

"Why? I can walk just fine."

Kageyama frowned and lifted his eyes to meet Hinata's, making the redhead's heart go "guwah~" for a beat. "I know you can walk. I know you can run and jump, too—but not as you used to."

Hinata leaned forward and rested his head on Kageyama's shoulder. "Hey. I know that. And I've accepted my reality. Sure, it sucks, but so what?"

"You don't get it," Kageyama mumbled. He spoke louder. "I got greedy. Not just at Karasuno, but when we played in university after. My best times, my favorite times spent on the court were with you. There were plays that were possible only with you. There _are_ plays that no one else can pull off right now—but I know _you_ could, if you had gotten your chance to stand on the professional stage with me." He leaned in to Hinata's touch when his small boyfriend reached for his cheek. "But your boundless energy burned your knees, and you jumped one too many times. That promise we made? To stand on the top of the world together, as rivals or as teammates? I let you down. I aided you in—in breaking your side of the promise."

Internally, Hinata heaved a great, big, ol' sigh, and he brought Kageyama's head to his shoulder, stroking his hair to comfort his giant baby. He was glad now that he'd talked to Kuroko, because hearing his side of the story had prepared him for this. He wondered if Kagami had had to endure a woeful Kuroko at some point, too. "No one broke any promises, Kageyama," he assured him.

Kageyama picked his head up and gave him a little glare. "Dumbass. How can you say that?"

"Because you _did_ make it to that stage, and I'm still by your side." Hinata beamed at him and rubbed his head. "Going to your games to cheer you on is like being a kind of teammate. Think of me as a reserve player, just one who sits in the stands."

His boyfriend gave him a grateful smile, a sight so precious Hinata's heart went "UWOO~" this time. A memory tickled the back of Hinata's brain, too, that Hinata had been called the team's sun back in their Karasuno days several times, by Takeda-sensei and Sugawara and Nishinoya and Yamaguchi.

But he could see now that, in his own way, Kageyama was the sun to him.

"Well…," Kageyama conceded, pulling Hinata onto his lap, "I'd be lying if I said I've made it this far without you."

"See? _That's_ the way to think of it." He kissed Kageyama and playfully booped his nose. "You've _got_ to keep playing professionally, for the both of us. And I know I can't keep you from worrying, even if I tell you one little jump won't kill me."

Kageyama flared his nostrils.

"But do something else for the both of us and let go of your guilt, okay?"

Kageyama nodded.

"Free up more brain space for volleyball stuff."

Kageyama huffed.

"Well, if you don't, then Koganegawa's feints will look cooler than yours~"

"Hinata, you dumbass…."

**Author's Note:**

> Precious babies. -w- *happy sigh* This is another of several side stories that was planned almost right at the start of the BoaF AU in 2014. Loving KnB and HQ! much as I do, and seeing the extraordinary things Hinata and Kagami do, I always wondered how badly reality would hit them, in terms of injuries. On a more morbid note, by the time I got around to writing this, I had my first serious injury (partially severed Achilles tendon—not fun), but I got to learn a HELL of a lot about physical therapy and shit because of that… Not experience I wanted first hand. ;w; But Hinata's v good in still doing his stretches and exercises, because scar tissue is anyone's worst enemy, but Hinata was almost lighthearted towards the end here because he's had his time to be prideful and be angry and be jealous that Kageyama and others could keep playing. He's come to terms with it…but Kageyama hadn't, though I think they're just about set now. :')
> 
> More notes:
> 
> -Damn straight Kagakuro's in BoaF. I love them too much. And Tama is an OC child of mine for them from "Doesn't Fall Far," though that's not in the BoaF AU; there are just more kids I've plucked from there to insert in this AU (so if anyone's read it, you can guess what other KnB ships are gonna show up in the future ;P).
> 
> -V. Premier League & the Japanese volleyball teams: These are all real, but I am making up a lot of things regarding scheduling and some such. I do have a mild interest in F.C. and Trefuerza, so I suggest you take a look at their websites. :3 And you'll get a closer look at F.C.'s team in "Proximity" (*hint, hint*). XD
> 
> -The kindergarten: What a fun mix, no? Also, Kiyoshi will be getting his own story for sure in the future, so hang tight~! B)
> 
> -Kagehina & cooking: In "Glass Shards," Noya remarks that Kags can't cook at all; here, at least, Hinata corrects that assumption. Kageyama can make rice porridge…and that's it. XD
> 
> -Natsu: YES. SHE IS COMING. She'll be here soon enough. I have plans for her, my precious girl. -w-
> 
> -Hinata's POV: I want to clarify before anyone bitches ('cuz it's unfortunately happened to me before *le sigh*), but this story is in Hinata's 3rd-person POV. So when he refers to Kags as the dumber of the two of them, he means that, not me; truth be told, if this were in Kags' POV, he'd think Hinata was the dumber of the two of them. They both know they're not the smartest tools in the shed, but they're good boys, and they look out for each other and love each other a lot. Hence Hinata's heart exclaiming like him all over the place in that last scene. XD Cuties.
> 
> -Lastly, the song for this fic: "[Sunshine](http://sunshine-rainfall.tumblr.com/post/10801966160/probably-my-all-time-favourite-song-by-m-flo-and)" by m-flo. So cute. So Kagehina.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and please review/comment/leave an ask! The next fic in the BoaF collection, "Personal Day," will take a while since it has its own fair share of side stories, but I hope you can enjoy the other side stories while you wait, and please visit the [BoaF tumblr page](http://le-amewzing.tumblr.com/birds-of-a-feather-au) (on my tumblr, le-amewzing) for lotsa stuff~! Show your support for this AU, and share your excitement for it, too!
> 
> -mew-tsubaki c:


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